2006: May 29 - 9th Informal Consultation Meeting between the Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees (ECG) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS (CSO)

Representatives from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) met in Paris on 29 (morning) May 2006 with Members of the OECD’s Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees (ECG) to discuss the review of the OECD Recommendation on Common Approaches on Environment and Officially Supported Export Credits (the «Recommendation»); the review is due to be completed by the end of 2006. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Brendan BERNE (Australia). This was the 9th consultation between the ECG and CSOs.

The CSOs participating in the consultation included representatives from the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD, the European Banking Federation, the Equator Principle Financial Institutions, the International Finance Corporation, the United Nations Environment Programme and Non Governmental Organisations from Amnesty International French Section and 17 other NGOs under the umbrella of ECA Watch.

The meeting focused on issues of transparency and disclosure of information, consultation with and participation by affected communities, monitoring and compliance mechanisms, impact of other international social and developmental obligations, current and emerging best practice with regard to environmental and other standards, and co-operation between export credit agencies in re insurance and co-insurance situations.

The CSOs requested a further consultation with the ECG later in the review process, based on a revised Draft Recommendation; the ECG at its meeting the following afternoon, agreed that, in principle, another consultation would be welcome; the exact timing and form of this would be decided at a future ECG Meeting.